Closed petition Stop Iain Duncan Smith from swapping benefits for food stamps/"smartcards"!

Closed on 19 October 2013

Iain Duncan Smith is planning to introduce a food stamps style scheme aimed at the poorest families who he accuses of wasting all their benefits on drugs and alcohol.

The planned system will see benefits loaded onto smart cards for "troubled familys" which will only be able to be used at government approved shops for government approved products.

The criteria for being a troubled family has nothing to do with a history of drug or alcohol abuse and are based solely on income, health, disability or educational background.

Troubled families are those that meet five out of the following seven factors: a low income, no-one in the family in work, living in poor housing, parents with no qualifications, a mother who has a mental health problem, one parent with a long-standing illness or disability,or the family is unable to afford basics, such as food and clothes.

As you can imagine the knock on effects of this will be dreadful! Families must be given MONEY not stamps or cards.